There’s a moment we all dread. You open your mouth to say something real- something that matters and before the words can settle, someone laughs. Not the warm, share kind of laugh, but the sharp dismissive kind that cuts deeper than you’d ever admit.
“Relax! it’s a joke they say” but it doesn’t feel like one. It feels like a small piece of you got crushed under their amusement. It’s funny, isn’t it? The world asks you to speak your truth but gives you every reason to stay silent.
Pain of being Dismissed:
Mockery is not just a sound; its a dismissal. It’s the world telling you that your words don’t matter, that your thoughts are entertainment at best. And the worst part, it doesn’t stop with laughter. It echoes inside you, long after the noise has faded.
“Maybe, I’m overreacting”
“Maybe, what I said was really stupid.”
But deep down, you know better. You know your words were meaningful. It’s just that not everyone has the depth to understand them.
And here’s where The Illusion of Time: Chasing the world of fleeting moments comes into play. Mockery does not just exits in the moment, it lingers. Its echoes distort times, pulling you back to the moment again and again. When dismissive behavior causes you to question the validity of your own emotions, psychologist calls this as “Social invalidation.” According to Carl Rogers theory of self concept, when our authentic self is rejected or mocked, it creates a conflict between who we are, and how we are perceived. This incongruence can erode our self-worth over time.
Why compromise feels like defeat!
And then there’s the other voice. The one that says, “Just go with the flow. Say what they want to hear. Do what they want to do?”. It’s tempting, isn’t it? To compromise, just enough to fit in. To force yourself into their version of fun because, apparently that is the only way to have fun in life. But here’s the thing about compromise: it comes at a cost. Every time you laugh at a joke, you don’t find funny, every time you agree to something that drains you, you lose a little bit of yourself.
“Oh come, on- just enjoy, ignore others” they say. But what they really mean is, ” Stop being yourself for a while. Be like us. That’s the only way you will be happy.” But the happiness does not live in compromise. It lives in authenticity. And if your authenticity does not fit in their mold, maybe its the mold that need breaking- not you.
What they don’t understand!
The world glorifies loudness. It values quantity over quality, appearances over substances. And when you refuse to play along, you’re labeled as, “difficult” or “unsocial”. But let me ask you this: is it really unsocial to value peace over pretense? To prefer sincerity over small talk? To choose joy over fitting in.
Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs highlights that self actualization- the highest level of human fulfilment- requires being true to oneself. Similarly, introversion and extroversion studies by Carl Jung emphasize that different people recharge in different ways. Preferring authenticity and solitude is not a flaw; it’s a legitimate need. If that makes you unsocial, wear the label proudly. Because the world does not need more people who fits in- it needs more people who stand out by being true to themselves.
The Science of fleeting emotions:
Fleeting emotions like doubts and discomfort in the face of mockery or dismissal often feel overwhelming. Neuroscience tells us that such emotions are processed in “amygdala”, the brain’s fear center. This is why even small instances of social rejection can feel like a threat to our survival. However the “prefrontal cortex”, responsible for rational thinking, can help us refrain these experiences. By acknowledging our emotions and validating our worth, we can rise above fleeting judgements and stay grounded in our authenticity.
So, the next time jeers ring out, let them fade, ignore the whispers of compromise. And remember silence is not always safer- your voice matters, even when the world tries to drown it out.
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